Presser-foot-controlling device



March 18 1924; I

' F. F. wrrKus PRESSEH FOOT CONTROLLING DEVICE Filed Aug. 11 1922 Patented Mar. 18, 1924.

v UNITED STATES FRANK F. WITKUS, OF NEVIPORT, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

PRESSER-FOOT-GONTROLLING DEVICE.

Application filed August 11, 1922. Serial No. 581,119.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK Fplvrriius, a citizen of the United States, a resident of Newport, in the county of Sullivan and the State of New Hampshire, have invented an Improvement in Presser-Foot-Controlling Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of sewing machines having a presser foot of the wheel type, which is held against the work in close proximity to the reciprocating needle and is so' supported that it may not only'be lifted vertically from the work, in

the usual manner, but may also be moved laterally from its normal position adjacent the needle, after it has been lifted, to a position at one side thereof, so that it will not be in the way of the operator, when it becomes necessary to thread the needle or make adjustments which would otherwise be interfered with by the foot.

Prior to my invention the movement of the presser foot to and from normal position has usually been performed by hand after the foot-has been raised to its fullest extent. I

The present invention specifically relates to a modified form of an invention generically claimed by me in a concurrently filed application, Serial No. 581,118.

' The object of the present invention is to provide means whereby the presser foot will be automatically moved laterally out of normal position at the end of the vertical lifting movement and willbe automatically returned to said normal position at the beginning of the lowering movement.

I accomplish thisobject by providing a spring which is normally actuated to hold the presser foot'in normalposition together with means which is actuated from the presser bar during the latter portion of its lifting movementvto overcome said spring action and positively move the presser-foot to an inoperative position, said means permitting the presser foot to be returned to normal position as the presser bar is lowered.

For a more complete disclosure of my invention reference is made to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figs. 1 and 2 are, respectively side and front elevations of the presser mechanism of a sewing machine containing an embodiment of my invention.

Figs. 3 and 4; are sectional views, at line a.b of Fig. 1, showing the presser arm controlling mechanism in different positions. i

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the presser bar head.

In the drawing the needle bar casing 1 is shown as provided with the usual vertically movable presser bar 2, which is spring pressed downwardly and adapted to be lifted either by a hand lever, or by a lever beneath the machine table, which is adapted to be operated by the foot or knee of the operator, both means usually being provided, and the foot or knee operated lever being usually connected to the presser bar through a chain, or the like, by means of a collar, as 3, attached to the bar. A head or block 4 is clamped on the lower end portion of the presscr bar, and the presser wheel 5 is rotatably supported close to the needle by an arm 6, said arm being mounted to swing outwardly and upwardly about a horizontal axis between a pair of pivot screws 7, which are threaded in ears on the head. A bell-crank lever 8 is mounted to swing on a pivot 9 secured in the head 4, and the arm 8 of said lever is extended horizontally beneath the head and has a spherical shaped end portion 8 which is located in a correspondingly shaped socket in the inner side of the arm 6, at a short distancefrom its axis and approximately at the level thereof. A coiled spring 10 is located in a recess formed in the head 4: and is arranged to engage the other arm 8 of lever 8 and acts to press the arm 8 towards the under side of the head and to a position in which the arm 8 is slightly inclined upward from its pivot, so that its end portion 8 is held slightly above the level of the axis of the arm (5, as shown in Fig. 3, in which position an adjustable stop screw 11 in the arm 6 is swung into contact with the adjacent side of the head 4, and limits movement in this direction. hen in this position, a vertical line through the axis on which the arm 6 swings, will pass at the outer side of the presser wheel 5, so that upward pressure on the work-engaging face of the wheel would tend to swing the arm 6 inward, but such movement is prevented by the engagement of the stop screw with the head. The action of the spring 10 is, therefore, not depended on to hold the presser wheel in position t" ml when the wheel is pressed against the work.

A rod 12 is mounted to slide vertically in the head 4. and rests at its lower end on the arm 8, in which position, its upper end extends for a suliicient distance above the upper surface of the head 4, to cause it to be brought into engagement with the under side of the casing 1 during the latter portion of the lifting movement of the presser bar.

WVith the above described mechanisn'i, the spring 10 will act to hold the arm 6 in the normal position of Figs. 1, 2 and 3, during the first portion of the lifting movement of the presser bar, but, during the last portion of this movement, the rod 12 will be pressed into engagement with the casing 1 and, on continued upward movement of the presser bar, the rod 12 will be held stationary, so that, as the lever S is carried up by the head, its arm 8" will be swung away from the under side of the head, causing the arm 6 to be swung outward, to the posi tion of Fig. i, so that the presser wheel will be moved to its inoperative position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

During the lirst part of the lowerii'ig movement of the presser bar, the spring 10 will be permitted to return the lever 8 to its normal position, so that the presser wheel will also be moved back to its normal position before it has been lowered sufliciently to engage the work.

I claim 1. In a sewing machine having a presser bar movable vertically between predetermined limits and having a presser foot at its lower end, means permitting lateral movement of said foot, relatively to the bar, between its normal position and an inoperative position at one side of said normal position, means constantly actuated to move said foot from its inoperative to its normal position and means arranged to be actuated by movement of the bar to its uppermost position, to move the foot from its normal to its inoperative position, in opposition to said constantly actuated means.

2. In a sewing machine having a presser bar movable vertically between predetermined limits and having a presser foot at its lower end, means permitting lateral movement of said foot, relatively to the bar, between its normal position and an inoperative position at one side of said normal position, engaging means carried by said bar spring actuated in one direction to move said foot from its inoperative to its normal position, and means carried by said bar and arranged to be moved relatively thereto, when the bar is lifted, to move said engaging means in the opposite direction and thereby move said foot from its normal to its inoperatiye position.

3. In a sewing machine having a presser bar movable vertically between predetermined limits and having a presser foot at its lower end, means permitting lateral mo-vement of said foot, relatively to the bar, be tween its normal position and an inoperative position at one side of said normal position, a lever mounted on said bar and springactuated in one direction to move said foot from its inoperative to its normal position, an abutment, and means carried by said bar arranged to engage said abutment when the bar is lifted and to be moved relatively to the bar to cause movement of said lever in the opposite direction, thereby to move the foot to its inoperative position.

at. In a sewing machine having a presser bar movable vertically between predetermined limits and having a presser foot at its lower end, means permitting lateral movement of said foot, relatively to the bar, between its normal position and an inoperative position at one side of said normal position, a lever mounted on said bar and spring actuated in one direction to move said foot from its inoperative to its normal position, an abutment, an operating device carried by said bar, and arranged to engage said lever and to be engaged with said abutment during the latter portion of the lifting movement of the bar, to move the lever in the opposite direction and move the foot to its inoperative position.

5. In a sewing machine having a vertically movable presser bar, a presser-footcarrying arm at the lower end of said bar and means for automatically swinging said arm to carry the Presser-foot away from its operative position as the bar is lifted, and for automatically returning the arm to its initial position as the bar is lowered.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

FRANK F. WITKUS. 

